I do have one or two more Patmos tales in the pipeline, but thought I'd digress just a little while this is fresh in my mind.
I did my first "Rhodes By Day" excursion on Tuesday and, while sitting in the Top Three and exchanging wishes for a "kali sezon" with all and sundry, Spiro and I somehow got around to telling a joke or two.
I kicked off my attempts with one that some of my longer-term readers may well remember. It's the one told by Basile, an American Greek stand-up comedian who's very funny, especially if you know Greek culture. Check out a sample here. He often talks about his experiences as a young boy of maybe five or six, and his ya ya and papou were living with his family at the time. The story goes something like this:
"Ya Ya! Is it right that women only wear black when their husband has died?"
"That's right, child."
"Ya ya, if women don't have to wear black all the time until their husband has died, why do you always wear black? I mean, Papou is still alive."
At this the old woman replied, with a glint in her eye: "I'm waiting!"
Spiro then told me his joke about an old couple, talking about who was going to die first. The Papou says:
"I think I ought to die first, my love. After all, if you went and I was left alone, I would never be able to cook and put food on my table. I'd be useless."
Whereupon, his aged wife replies:
"No, no, no, my dear, it would be better if I went first. After all, I'd not be able to do a thing around the house without you. You've been my Mr. Fixit for so many years."
"But, my sweetheart, you're much more capable in so many ways than I am. I should be the one to die first, trust me."
"No NO!! Don't say that my love. You are strong and you'd be fine without me. And if the chickens escaped, for example, you'd easily be able to repair the fence again. I could never do that on my own."
And so the discussion went on, each insisting that they should be the first to go.
After a while, the old man says to his wife:
"I'm off down the kafeneion, my sweet. See you later."
Her husband hasn't been gone long when there's a knock on the door. Opening it, the old woman is startled to see, standing before her, o Haros' [Greek for 'the Grim Reaper', or death].
"Oh, no!" She cries, "You've come to the wrong place. You want the kafeneion down the road."
I did my first "Rhodes By Day" excursion on Tuesday and, while sitting in the Top Three and exchanging wishes for a "kali sezon" with all and sundry, Spiro and I somehow got around to telling a joke or two.
I kicked off my attempts with one that some of my longer-term readers may well remember. It's the one told by Basile, an American Greek stand-up comedian who's very funny, especially if you know Greek culture. Check out a sample here. He often talks about his experiences as a young boy of maybe five or six, and his ya ya and papou were living with his family at the time. The story goes something like this:
"Ya Ya! Is it right that women only wear black when their husband has died?"
"That's right, child."
"Ya ya, if women don't have to wear black all the time until their husband has died, why do you always wear black? I mean, Papou is still alive."
At this the old woman replied, with a glint in her eye: "I'm waiting!"
Spiro then told me his joke about an old couple, talking about who was going to die first. The Papou says:
"I think I ought to die first, my love. After all, if you went and I was left alone, I would never be able to cook and put food on my table. I'd be useless."
Whereupon, his aged wife replies:
"No, no, no, my dear, it would be better if I went first. After all, I'd not be able to do a thing around the house without you. You've been my Mr. Fixit for so many years."
"But, my sweetheart, you're much more capable in so many ways than I am. I should be the one to die first, trust me."
"No NO!! Don't say that my love. You are strong and you'd be fine without me. And if the chickens escaped, for example, you'd easily be able to repair the fence again. I could never do that on my own."
And so the discussion went on, each insisting that they should be the first to go.
After a while, the old man says to his wife:
"I'm off down the kafeneion, my sweet. See you later."
Her husband hasn't been gone long when there's a knock on the door. Opening it, the old woman is startled to see, standing before her, o Haros' [Greek for 'the Grim Reaper', or death].
"Oh, no!" She cries, "You've come to the wrong place. You want the kafeneion down the road."
Love the jokes xxxx
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